Lubricating composition

ABSTRACT

A protective lubricant composition suitable for use as a wire rope lubricant, comprising about 75 to 95 weight percent of an asphalt, about 4 to 20 weight percent of a high viscosity index, distillate mineral lubricating oil and about 0.5 to 15 weight percent of Fischer-Tropsch wax.

United States Patent Fauber et al. [45] Apr. 11, 1972 [54] LUBRICATINGCOMPOSITION OTHER PUBLICATlONS Inventors; Eugene M- Fflllbel, Hammond,Gedecke et al. Chemical Abstracts Vol. 55 (1961) Cols.

lard C. Moyer, l-lomewood, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company, New York,

[22] Filed: Apr. 20, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 30,215

[52] U.S. Cl ..252/59, 106/272 [5 1] int. Cl. ..Cl0m l/54 [58] Field ofSearch ..252/59, 16; 106/230, 272

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,785,111 3/1957 Vierk etal. ..252/59 X 27,873 & 27,874.

Primary Examiner-Daniel E. Wyman Assistant Examiner-W. CannonAttarney-Thomas J. Clough and Morton, Bernard, Brown, Roberts &Sutherland [57] ABSTRACT A protective lubricant composition suitable foruse as a wire rope lubricant, comprising about 75 to 95 weight percentof an asphalt, about 4 to 20 weight percent of a high viscosity index,distillate mineral lubricating oil and about 0.5 to 15 weight percent ofFischer-Tropsch wax.

5 Claims, No Drawings This invention relates to protective lubricantcomposition, especially suitable for applications to wire ropes,metallic cantly increases the softening points of the asphalt-oilcomposition, lowers its penetration value and lowers its viscosity atelevated temperatures sufficiently to provide a good protectivelubricant and even meet the above listed specifications for 1 N o rust.1 Minimum.

strands and'other metallic articles. Wire ropes, i.e., cables, are 5wire rope lubricants. usedfor many types of materials handling work.They are used The lubricants of this invention are blends of about 75 to95 for light and heavy, short and long hauling, pulling and weightpercent of mineral oil asphalt residium having a dragging, .often underextreme temperature conditions found penetration at 7 7 F. (ASTM-DS) ofabout 20 to 150 and a in. machines, storerooms, ,or desert and arcticclimates. The Ringand Ball softening point of about 105 to 150 F.; about4 .ropes also are exposed-to water, .dirt, chemicals andother corl to 20weight percent of a mineral lubricating oil distillate hav- .rosivecontaminants. Because wire ropesand other comparaing an SSU viscosity atl00 F. of about 125 to l75 and a ble metallic articlesare subjected tosuch-uses and conditions viscosity index of at least about 90; and about0.5 to 15 weight they must be protected by lubricants which canwithstand percent of a Fischer-Tropsch wax having a congealing pointgreat pressures, protect against corrosion, and not melt and (AST-M-D93849) of from about 202 to 207 F.. and a 100 drip or .become soft andtacky at high temperatures or not gram penetration value at 77 F.,sec(mm/lO) .tendto chip or crackin.coldltemperatures. (ASTM-D132l-T) ofabout 2 maximum. Preferably, these -It,is known that lubricants.formetallic articlessuch as wire amounts areab out 80 to 92 weightpercent asphalt, about to ropes can provide this protection if thelubricants have good weight percent lubricating oil and about 1 to 10weight per- .lubricating properties .and relatively high softeningpoints and cent Fischer-Tropsch wax. penetration values but lowviscosities at. elevated tempera- The asphalt component which is blendedwith a lubricating tures. Protective lubricants require high softeningpoints to oil and a Fischer-Tropsch wax to form the compositions of thispreventthe lubricants ,frombeconiing too soft or sticky for useinvention can .bea petroleum residium. Preferably, the asphalt atambient or .elevated temperatures or from melting or is obtainedas aprecipitate by solvent deasphalting a reduced running when used underextremely hot conditions. High .mineral crude oil, e.g. aMid-Continentreduced crude oil. The penetration .values insure that the lubricantswill not become solvent in such operations is often a lower alkane ofthree to brittle and tend to chip or break in very cold temperatures.five carbon atoms, e.g. propaneor pentane. The asphalt com- Protectivelubricants are normally applied to wire ropes at ponent preferably hasapenetration at 77 F. (ASTM-DS) of elevated temperaturesand it isimportant that the lubricants about to 50 anda Ring andBall softeningpoint of about have relatively low viscosities under such conditions sothat 30 l25to 135. A quite suitable asphalt has a penetration at 77 F.the compositions can be easily handled as by pumping and will of about41 and a softening point of about 129 F. provide an even, full andcontinuous coating of the wire rope. The lubricating oil employed as acomponent in the protec- Manufacturers of wire ropes have found thatprotective tive lubricant composition of this invention is a distillatefraclubricants havingtest specifications in certain ranges have-the tionof a mineral oil, and the distillate preferably has a viscosidesiredproperties. One such manufacturers specifications are -ty at 100 F. ofabout 140 to 160 SUS and a viscosity index of listedi n the table below.atleastabout93. It has been found advantageous to employ a TA Ellubricating oil having a viscosity at 100 F. of about 150 SSUandaviscosity index of about 95. To obtain lubricating oil Allowablefractions having the desired properties the oil, for instance Ranges f40 derived from a mixed base crude, can be subjected toconvenspecficamns tional lubricating oil refining processes to removemost of the aromatic constituents and paraffinic waxes. Preferably thepenmiiiml distillate is refined by hydrofinishing, dewaxing andaromatics E i 9" (ring 3 bamfF' 135445 removal, the latter by treatmentwith a solvent selective for urol vlscoslty at 250 F., sec. l30-l60 5aromatics such as phenol. Salt spray corrosion, 100 hrs. at i The waxemployed in the compositions of this invention is E' obtained by theFischer-Tropsch process which essentially 2 (E?) wading 35 comprisessynthesizing carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the our ball wear, scardiam, mm (600 RPM 40 Mg presence of a catalyst such as 11'011 or cobaltto form gasollnes, diesel fuels and waxes. The inclusion of smallpercentages of the wax renders an otherwise incapableasphalt-lubricating oil It hasgbeendifficult to manufacture protectivelubricants havcomposition, capable of meeting the specifications of agood ,ingspecifications in the ranges shown in Table I. In the efiortsprotective lubricant such as those required of a wire rope tomakesuchlubricants,- it is common, for example, to add oils lubricant. toasphaltstocks to lower. the softening points of the asphalt The protectivelubricant composition of this invention is adstocks, increase theirpenetration .values and lower their vantageous in that it does notrequire the inclusion of conven- .viscosities. Asphalt-oil blends;however, have not heretofore tional additives as preventive agentsagainst rust and corrobeen; sufficient to meet all of the specificationsrequired of sion. Such preventive agents can, however, be incorporatedwire rope lubricantsnor have suitable compositions been prointo thecompositions of this invention so long as there is no vided by. theaddition of certain other components to the deleterious result.asphalt-oil blends. The significance of including wax in theasphalt-lubricating :lt' has now been found that the provision of aminoramount oil blend can be seen from the comparative data of the tableof; Fischer-Tmpsch .wax to certain asphalt-oil blends signifibelow:

TABLE II Wire rope specifi- Blend A B o D E F G cations Composition, wt.percent:

sphalt 86.50 91.50 84. 77 89. 47 83.04 Lubricating 0il 13.50 8.50 13.238.33 12. J6 Testlisisher Tropsch wax 2.00 2,00 4.00 Penetration, 77 F.(DS) 280. 0 186. 0 178.0 119. 0 147. 0 Softening point (R&B), F. a. 95.0103.0 110.5 117.5 150.0 Furol viscosity, 250 F. sec 168. 7 212. 4 145. 0184. 6 122.8 Salt spray corrosion, hrs. F Mean hertz (EP) load, kg 2 235 Four ball wear, scar dia. mm. (600 rpm,

40 kg. 168 F.) 37 6O The asphalt component used to obtain the data ofTable ll had a penetration value at 77 F. of about 41, a Ring and Ballsoftening point of about 129 and was a propane-precipitated asphaltobtained from a reduced Mid-Continent crude oil. The lubricating oil wasa hydrofinished, dewaxed, phenol extracted distillate from a mixed basecrude oil. The refined oil had a viscosity at 100 F. of about 150 SSUand a viscosity index of about 95. The Fischer-Tropsch wax had acongealing point of about 205 F. (ASTMD938-49), and a 100 grampenetration value at 100 F. of below 2 (ASTM-Dl32 l-61T).

A comparison of the data of Table II confirms that blends of asphalt andlubricating oil alone (Blends A and B) will not enable one to meet theindicated allowable wire rope lubricant specifications because when theweight percent of the oil is increased, the penetration value of theblend becomes excessively high, whereas the addition of a minor amountof the Fischer-Tropsch wax enables one to increase the oil content ofthe compositions to lower its viscosity but without producing excessiveincreases in penetration. The factors even permit the indicated wirerope specifications to be met by the presence of about 3.5 weightpercent of the Fischer-Tropsch wax in Blend G.

It is significant that a Fischer-Tropsch wax component having thehereinbefore designated properties can be used with the asphalt-oilblend to make the compositions of this invention for it has been foundthat substituting, for example, polyethylene for the wax does notproduce a suitable protective lubricant for wire ropes. It has beenfound that when a straight chain polyethylene such as Epolene N-lO whichhas a penetration at 77 F. of 1.5 and a Ring and Ball softening point of232 F., is blended with the same asphalt and oil whose properties havehereinbefore been enumerated, incompatible mixtures were obtained whenthe amount of polyethylene employed approached that needed to meetrequired specifications. When an oxidized polyethylene called EpoleneE-lO having a penetration at 77 F. of 2 and a Ring and Ball softeningpoint of 216 F., was blended with the asphalt and oil,

compatible mixtures were obtained when up to 20 weight percent ofEpolene E-lO was added, but the blends failed to meet the specificationssince the additions caused an increase, rather than a decrease, inviscosity of the asphalt oil blend.

1 claim:

1. A protective lubricant composition comprising about 75 to weightpercent of asphalt residium having a penetration at 77 F. (ASTMD5) ofabout 20 to 150 and a Ring and Ball softening point of about to 150 F.;about 4 to 20 weight percent of a distillate mineral lubricating oilhaving a viscosity at 100 F. of about to 175 SSU and a viscosity indexof at least about 90; and about 0.5 to 15 weight percent of Fischer-Tropsch wax having a congealing point (ASTMD938-49) of from about 202 to207 F. and a 100 gram maximum penetration value at 77 F., sec(mm/lO)(ASTMD132l-61T) of about 2.

2. The composition of claim 1 comprising about 80 to 92 weight percentof asphalt residium having a penetration at 77 F. (ASTMD5) of about 41and a Ring and Ball softening point of about 129 F.; about 5 to 15weight percent of a mineral lubricating oil distillate having aviscosity at 100 F. of about to SSU and a viscosity index of about 95;and about 1 to 10 weight percent of a Fischer-Tropsch wax having acongealing point (ASTM-D938-49) of from about 202 to 207 F. and a 100gram maximum penetration value at 77 F., sec(mm/IO)(ASTMDl32l-61T)ofabout 2.

3. The composition of claim 2 wherein the asphalt residium isprecipitated from reduced Mid-Continent crude oil by a C to C alkanesolvent.

. The composition of claim 3 wherein said distillate lubricating oil isa hydrofinished, dewaxed, phenol extracted distillate of a mixed basecrude oil.

5. The composition of claim 4 wherein there is present about 86 weightpercent of said asphalt, about 10.5 weight percent of said distillatelubricating oil and about 3.5 weight percent of said Fischer-Tropsch waxcomposition.

2. The composition of claim 1 comprising about 80 to 92 weight percentof asphalt residium having a penetration at 77* F. (ASTM-D5) of about 41and a Ring and Ball softening point of about 129* F.; about 5 to 15weight percent of a mineral lubricating oil distillate having aviscosity at 100* F. of about 140 to 160 SSU and a viscosity index Ofabout 95; and about 1 to 10 weight percent of a Fischer-Tropsch waxhaving a congealing point (ASTM-D938-49) of from about 202 to 207* F.and a 100 gram maximum penetration value at 77* F., sec(mm/10)(ASTM-D1321-61T) of about
 2. 3. The composition of claim 2 wherein theasphalt residium is precipitated from reduced Mid-Continent crude oil bya C3 to C5 alkane solvent.
 4. The composition of claim 3 wherein saiddistillate lubricating oil is a hydrofinished, dewaxed, phenol extracteddistillate of a mixed base crude oil.
 5. The composition of claim 4wherein there is present about 86 weight percent of said asphalt, about10.5 weight percent of said distillate lubricating oil and about 3.5weight percent of said Fischer-Tropsch wax composition.